Government asks BCCI to organise India XI vs World XI to mark 75th Independence Day

In a country like India, cricket is nothing short of a household sport. Hence, to mark the 75th Independence Day, the Government has sent an exciting proposal to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

The sources have revealed that the Ministry of Culture is interested in holding an India XI vs World XI fixture on August 22. This is being considered as a post-celebration event for the 75th Independence Day. The Government has urged BCCI to consider the proposal and gather popular cricket players from around the globe.

The proposal is still in its nascent stages, with a lot of logistical and operational issues to be considered. "We have received a proposal from the Government to organise a cricket match between India XI and World XI on August 22. For the rest of the world squad, we would need at least 13-14 international players, and their availability is something that we need to check on," a source said, as quoted by the Hindu.

Assembling 13-14 overseas players would be challenging, given that plenty of domestic tournaments are lined up during that period. In addition, the Royal-London One Day Cup would also hit the ground running, whereas the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) is all set to commence towards the end of August.

Moreover, Team India also has a packed schedule which runs till the end of the year. Recently, reports have emerged that the BCCI is strongly considering a short tour of Zimbabwe in the third week of August. The tentative dates of the tour seem to coincide with the Government's proposal of staging an India XI vs World XI fixture. Hence, BCCI might consider fielding B-team for Zimbabwe tour.